The Dorm Room: aka, the most frustratingly limited "test kitchen" for a college-aged foodie/aspiring chef. When you can't take another evening of dining-hall cuisine, no matter how enticing those limp salads and lukewarm burgers may be, the real challenge starts: How to create something edible from limited ingredients (and maybe a hot plate).

Of course, the editors at Epicurious had to make do with the limitations of a microwave, mini-fridge, and not much else. Here are the embarassingly primitive but surprisingly delicious ways they made do.

It's true! It let's us know that fall is here before any of the following definitely fall-related things: Crisp air, back to school specials, the sight of Halloween candy in grocery store aisles, and leaves changing colors.

And the best part? You don't have to head down to your local Starbucks to experience fall-spiced glory.

In Europe, chefs begin stages at an early age to gain experience in professional kitchens. This summer, 85 public school students from around the city scored paid internships in some of Manhattan's top kitchens thanks to Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). The nonprofit group works with public schools across the country to prepare disadvantaged high school students for college and careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry through scholarships and job training programs.

We followed six students into the kitchens of Betony, Red Rooster Harlem, Bodega Negra, The Cecil and Minton's to see what the experience was like and what motivates them.

Yesterday, we introduced you to Robert Gaurneri at Betony and this morning, we profiled Ameia Peters. Now let's meet Marlene Fiawumo-Dotsey, who is also interning at Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus Samuelsson's first venture into neighborhood dining. Channeling the neighborhood's past and present, the restaurant's clientele is diverse, the menu is filled with home-cooked favorites from Stockholm and Harlem, and don't miss the gospel brunch on Sundays.

17-year-old Marlene Fiawumo-Dotsey grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn and just graduated from the William E Grady High School. She recently moved to an apartment in Harlem with her cousin and will be taking a business management course at the Borough of Manhattan Community College this fall. Fiawumo-Dotsey first started cooking at the age of twelve, and this is her second internship through C-CAP. Last summer, she interned in corporate dining with Compass Group at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Maegher & Flom.

For all of you with kids on sports teams or in Girl Scouts, back to school means to back to bake sales. Is it just us, or do they tend to pop up when you least expect it and have zero time to whip something up? Add to that all the competitive super-moms out there who treat bake sales like real-life Cupcake Wars or something. Don't let them intimidate you!

Put down the boxed mix and slice-and-bake cookies, and try incorporating one of these impressive yet easy and kid-friendly treats into your bake sale repertoire.

This time of year, thousands of students will be dropped off at college campuses around the country. Many of them will be feeding themselves for the first time. While most campuses have cafeterias and meal plans, here at Epi, we swear by the slogan: Don't be afraid of using your mini fridge and microwave! (Or something like that.)

College dorm dining takes a little bit of creativity, but it doesn't have to be difficult or dreadful.

Microwaves can steam vegetables, boil pasta, or cook brownies. Add a blender to your dorm for smoothies. Buy a can opener. Keep a little olive oil, salt, and pepper on hand. Now, check out some recipes that are perfect for dorm-dwellers.

Growing up, I was always jealous of my friends who came to school with homemade packed lunches. While my options included sloppy Joes, tater tots, pizza, French fries, and chips, my best friend's mom packed her a sandwich, some type of vegetables and dip, and cookies. Best of all, her mom always included a sticky note that said, "I love you."

If you can, why not take a little extra time the night before to pack you child's lunch? Let your kid's lunchbox be the envy of his classmates.

It's hard to believe that summer is nearly over and school will be starting soon. Breakfast has been proven to raise IQ scores, and now is the best time to get your children used to waking up early for a healthy meal before heading to class.

The Monday after Labor Day week is the last of the firsts: It's the first day of school for much of the Northeast, and for lots of kids in other parts of the country. My own little ladybug starts preschool on Monday, and when I'm not weeping copious tears about it I'm planning some fun first-day-of-school family rituals that I'm well aware will probably not last past first grade.

There may be no more appropriate resource for a special first-night-of-school dinner menu than Oakland's adorable Homeroom, the classroom-themed restaurant devoted to the art and science of mac and cheese. The owners of Homeroom have an appealing new cookbook out this month, The Mac and Cheese Cookbook. Homeroom offers ten or so different mouthwatering variations on mac and cheese at a time, with seasonally rotating sides and desserts, and, most exciting for us grownups, wine and beer pairings to complement all the smoky, cheesy, gooey goodness. The cookbook offers up recipes for some of their bestsellers, including a foundation recipe for a basic bechamel sauce that quickly explains how to achieve the perfect, silky texture.

Below are three of my favorite recipes from the book, which together create a filling, fast, festive menu for the first night of school. School nights can be crazy, but you can make the frozen Peanut Butter Pie the night before (it takes about 20 minutes tops) and chuck it in the freezer, and you can also cook the bacon and the bechamel for the Smoky Bacon Mac in advance and store them in containers in the fridge. With those two pieces of prep done, the entire meal will take about 20 minutes to put on the table, and there will be leftovers for the next day's lunchboxes.

The muffin tin to the rescue! In addition to being fantastic for, well, making muffins and cupcakes (as well as molding enormous ice cubes, freezing servings of soup, and dyeing eggs, to name just a few other talents), muffin tins are excellent vehicles for the creation of the most adorable--and often portable--kid- and adult-friendly foods ever.

Here, 17 fun dishes made in a muffin (or mini-muffin) tin. Serve them at brunch or as hors d'oeuvres, tuck them into lunch boxes, or take 'em on the road!

Whether your kid's been in school for a few weeks or hasn't even started classes yet, getting the proper kind of fuel--the type that's good for brains and growing bodies--can be a challenge. Over at Bon Appétit, there's a short history about the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. I have fond memories of mine: crunchy peanut butter (always) and jelly (grape or strawberry) on white bread (my mom made us switch to wheat as I got older). These days, PB&J equals natural crunchy peanut butter, fruit preserves (hello, Bonne Maman; check out the Golden Plum Mirabelle), and healthy whole grain bread (toasted). Whatever the iteration, PB&J is a classic and a lunchtime standard, no matter how old--or how young--you are.